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Sudden Silence
Trials of Disharmony Polaris/In Transit/ Morning 7 The winding path that Polaris followed on his return to the ancestral domain of the tribe of his forefathers brought an opportunity for silent reflection. The toils of war had weighed heavily on him and it wasn't until now, that he was away from the fighting entirely and on his own again as he had been for so many centuries, that he began to realize it. The numerous cuts and bruises that should've scarred his body weren't there, his flesh healed itself just as it had ever since his fall, but the wounds were still there buried deep within. Where the physical pains were missing, the mental always picked up the slack. If it were possible, he'd been hardened even more by the events of the last several days. "Father would be proud." Polaris chuckled. "Father..." The bravado Polaris had shown before he went off the grid had all been a ruse created for his fathers benefit, Scorpius Eridanus was not a weak man and weak children, or even children he presumed to be weak were considered a blight on the family name. After Polaris' defeat and demise at the hands of the Gerudo, his father deemed him "too feeble minded to be any son of mine," and thus stripped Polaris of his surname and banished him from the tribe. The man he had become, the man who'd taken the lives of so many and struck fear into countless hearts, the man Jaden Bryseis grew up idolizing for so long had been no more than a scared little boy searching in vain for his fathers approval. Polaris shook himself, that was who he HAD been, not now, now he had surpassed even his fathers greatest achievements. He'd cheated death, something even that old bastard couldn't lay claim to. The sun was setting when Polaris stopped to set up his camp for the night and even though he'd traveled all day, walking to conserve energy just as much to enjoy the solitude of the road he felt invigorated, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, not even the destruction of castle town had dampened his good spirits when he passed by. The outstretched shadows of Zora's Domain danced across the landscape as the sun fell behind the hills and for the briefest of moments, Polaris thought he heard the raspy voice of the ancient witch carried on the wind. "You have learned something today young one, this was the last of the easy trials though, the three that remain..." The voice trailed off as the wind died down. IC: Khur / Lake Hylia / Dawn 7 Khur managed to duck as Polaris's shards of ice flew at him, but only enough to save himself. The shards slashed into Kazeem, and sent him flying from Khur's back. He temporarily regained control of his own body. Along the northern edge of the Lake, Khur felt an intense transfer of power, a disturbance in the fabric of light and dark that his Dusk master had fused him with. As the Zora who confronted him stole away into the lingering twilight, his eyes were drawn to a cave on the north shore. Inside, Khur found a shrine to the Light Spirit Lanayru. Like the colloquy with Garo at the Arbiter's Grounds, and the Great Fairy in the Haunted Wasteland after the sacking of Castle Town, Khur knelt down before the demigod's altar. "Great spirit, I beseech thee, return me to the state I was before this foul sorcerer cursed me." Lanayru emerged from his fountain in a flash of light, and bowed his head low to meet Khur's supplication. "For too long have you suffered under the yolk of this false master, the High Mage Kazeem. Take my Blessing, and let justice be done to the Interloper!" A ray of light shot from Lanayru's mouth onto Khur, and enveloped him in shining gold. When it cleared, Rukh rose to his full height, metallic comb stretching almost to the cavern's ceiling. The Thunderbird spread its wings and cried out into the rising sun, erupting from the cave mouth in a torrent of electricity and flames of light. "Curse you, agents of darkness!" Rukh roared as he flew low over the icy dunes of Lake Hylia, trailing a curtain of stormcloud in his train. Lightning flashed below his wings as he bore down on the western beach, then ripped Kazeem from the ground only to throw him at Isaac Kinslayer. He landed on a boulder protruding from the sand, and found Jaden next to him, braced for the fight with Isaac and Kazeem. "Watch out for the assassin, Lynn Hothlight," Rukh warned. "I know you and Agent Annei are close, but she is not to be trusted when she's wearing that Cloak." IC: Rukh / Lake Hylia / Dawn 7 The meridian between the grey dim of night and the red dome of morning seemed to hang directly overhead. A cold, quiet stillness seemed to fall over the frozen lake as Lynn's laughter laced across its shores. Then lightning struck. "Jaden--let not your sentiment for Annei cloud your sacred duty. Courage, Bryseis!" The Thunderbird bolted forward across the sand at Lynn as she stood facing Isaac and Darrel, frozen together at the moment by her magic blast. He flared his wings and bared his talons, and prepared to slice them down over Lynn's head as soon as he closed the distance between them. Whispers of the Mind Senshi/Mindscape/Late Night 6 Just as soon as Senshi leaned back to fall into the void he found himself standing idly before the source of the green glow as if it had been where he was this whole time. As if his spirit had gone there on instinct and was simply mind the catch up. The glow appeared as an unending body of water as massive as the ocean but far to calm, with ripples and waves no bigger than one might see on a windless day in a bay. Senshi paused staring at the endless green ocean and the black void it contrast against. He knew now with even greater certainty what it was, but that only seemed to confuse him. It was too large and too calm, and too free. He had expected some from a raging storm smashing against what even was binding it, but to see it like this; he couldn’t begin to image what kept it at bay. What kept it sealed from his consciousness. Looking to his shoulder to confide in Death Angel for guidance he found the blackbird had since vanished. It seemed this was a level of is mind the Angel either wouldn’t or couldn’t dive into. Regardless it meant he was without a guide or a voice of caution on how to proceed. Senshi would have to decide how to continue on his own, without the constant wise, if usually unwelcomed advice of an immortal spirit, something he wasn’t use to. He paused for a moment to think of the situation form a more cautious point of view, but lacking experience in such thinking, and believing himself having come too far, he pressed on without a second thought on the matter. Senshi walked out into the ocean, the water going no higher than his ankles no matter how far out he went. He walked for what he perceived as hours, farther lamenting the nature of the glows appearance the longer he went on. It wasn’t that it was large ocean, but a really big puddle. If it had depth instead of spread he’d be at his destination already. He kicked the surface of the water in frustration but found the ripples caused by it went deeper than they should have, deeper than his feet were going. He reached his hand into the water at first unable to go farther down then his feet, but wanted to confirm his thoughts keep forcing it until he was able to get it a few inches deeper. It was clear now, this ocean ran deeper then he could imagine. The fault laid with him,' he' was only able to scratch the surface. “It’s not a matter of physical strength, or raw forceful determination. The key to its use and power is mental will. Disciple and finesse for higher control.” An unknown voice called out form the darkness. Senshi jumped up and turned around towards its source. He though he and just caught a glimpse of a figure but it faded before he could get a decent look. The voice called out again from the other direction. “Also, take care to remember, few with this gift can master both fine control and demonstrations of raw power. There are exceptions of course, but the best most can strive for is a healthy balance.” Senshi turned toward to voice again this time finding a giant structure before him. It was a massive golden seed shaped object floating above the green sea. A stream of its power flowed up into an opening in the bottom with a smaller stream funneled out of the top. It was converted in tiny engravings, all most all of which were beyond his comprehension. The voice continued as Senshi ran his hand along the engraving, wonder just what they said. “It was my intention to help you achieve this balance as you grew. Unfortunately at this moment it has becoming apparent destiny has another plan for me, instead I will only be able to leave you with this message. If you’ve found this I’m sure you’ve seen your power is of a great quantity. It also of a decent potency, but unsealed will be very chaotic. So much so that I had to take measure to keep it from harming you while as you risked self injury to your infant body. It’s my hope that you’ll find teach, but if you can’t please consider leaving the seal in place. Nevertheless if you still wish to remove it, understand fine control will be difficult for you, if not impossible so please, be careful. Darrim’s voice faded away leaving Senshi alone to contemplate his grandfather’s final message. He now know way he telekinesis worked the way he it did. Why it was sealed away from him, and the risked a tapping into it. He also though back to what his mother said when she drew him into here early and figure out just what the markings on the seal were. It was likely they were an “engineered” personality, a very simple one, probably using his natural survival instinct and only activating when he was disabled. It seemed his grandfather was wise to give him some means to use his power for self preservation. Considering what his mother had told him, his sister’s teleportation must be a flawed copy of this design. Unfortunately not knowing what was wrong with her’s or understanding the inscriptions meant he wouldn’t be able to provide any insight on the matter. Senshi though about the whole situation far too long and began to doubt his own intent. He’s always wanted to unlock his telekinesis but blindly chasing after power was the cause of most of his trouble. He couldn’t help but think he was about to do it again, but perhaps he had no choice. He couldn’t control the anti-magic and even if he learned it the other light warriors would likely reject it just as they do the Scythe of Shadow’s powers. He also could survive on physical skill alone, that lesson he’s finally learned. He needed this power if he was going to look after this new generation as he swore to do; on the other hand gaining another self destructive ability was unlikely to help anyway. The answer suddenly came to him and he levitated of the tip of the seed. He reached into the small opening that was letting power leak through as he slept and stretched it open wider. Landing back on the ocean he found the water his feet went no deeper than before, but the ocean had lost some of its calm, with ripples turned to waves that now reached just below his knees at the highest. He figured once he woke up the opening he made would skink a little farther calming things and limiting what power he’d have access but that how he wanted it. He would learn to control this power, what small part of it he allowed himself to have, and with it learn to control himself. This would be part of his redemption. “Senshi,” Darrim’s voice once again spoke up though this time with a ghostly form attached to it. The form of an old man, laying down but appearing upright, covered in a slight layer of snow and grasping a small wound in his chest. “I just realized it would be far too horrible a thing for my final message to my grandson to be a school lecture. Grow strong Senshi, grow strong and be good. I know what’s to come so I know what you’ll live though. I also know your parents have a lot of growing to do and a lot of issues they both still need to work through. Don’t like these things get to you though. Don’t let any horrors you’ll see in your life turn you cynical, don’t let them blind you from seeing good in the world. Instead let them show you why good men are so desperately needed. It doesn’t matter if you’re a hero, a protector, a teacher, a soldier or a sage. Just be good.” The image faded, and Senshi awake in a strange bed. He was disoriented, confused, saddened but yet reinvigorate. It was far to painfully clear how much he’d failed, but he had even more reason to make up for it. Senshi/Kakariko Village/Dawn 7 The banging of hail and heavy rain on the poorly kept roof tiles stirred Senshi awake. His head was throbbing for his intraplaner adventures of the previous night making it difficult to gather his thoughts. He started to look around the room as his eyes readjusted quickly realizing he had no idea where he was or how he got there. Last he could remember he had teleported to the Graveyard with Lynn and the bird guy, but that didn't explain how he got inside or why he was wet. "Ok where am I, and where the hell did Annei go?" "You fell on conscious from over using that Ocarina. One of the otheeEEEEEeYyYyYyYyY."Death Angel's words quickly become drowned out by a pain ringing that surged through Senshi's mind. He grasped his head in pain, until Death Angel realized what was happening and silenced himself so the ringing would stop. As the pain faded back to a dull throbbing Senshi looked around the room and realized everything had been knocked over and most of the furniture had been push away from him. It seemed having both his telepathy and telekinesis activate at the same time was going to be a problem. The fact the Death and Shinigami spoke to him through the latter only made things worse. He knew his best option was the turn off his telepathy with the perfect barrier he had used while working with the Twili but since don't so would likely cause and even more intense reaction when what happened here it would have to wait. He quickly gather his things and headed for the door when he was hit with a sudden unsettling realization. If he had passed out right after warping here then his Ocarina would have been... He reached into his belt pouch in a panic only to confirm his fears, it was missing. Either he had dropped it, or worse Lynn took it again. "That pain in my ass." He rushed out the door to his room only to be stopped by the innkeeper, "Ah I see you're feeling better. You know a really man know better then to drink so much he passes out and leave his women unfulfilled for the evening." "I'm sorry, what!?" Senshi explained with a level of confusion beyond what he had ever experience. Even if it was Lynn that brought him here, where the hell did this bit about alcohol and a girlfriend come from. "Yeah she said you were passed out drunk when she dragged you in here last night. Dumped you in a room and took off to the graveyard of all places. Come to think of it she never did come back even after the weather turned. You might want to go look for her." Senshi didn't wait for the innkeeper to finish talking before he ran out the door and head towards the graveyard. It was fortunate Lynn had gone that why since it means you could retrace his steps as he looked for her in case of the slightly better scenario that he had simple dropped the ocarina. Arriving at the graveyard only presented the worst case scenario, neither of them were there. It meant more then likely she left already and took his ocarina with here. Still something was nagging at him. Something about this storm, and this feeling he was getting from the Shadow Scythe. It seemed to be pulsing like it wanted to self form as a warning like it did when a familiar enemy was near by. A horrifying thought suddenly came over him. "Death, the Shadow Temple connects to proper underworld doesn't it?" Death knew he couldn't respond but it didn't matter. Senshi knew the answer, in fact it was key to his plans. "Damn it!" The Relics IC: Taden's Ghost (The Hated Knife) / Lake Hylia, Eastern Shore / Seventh Sunrise "I do not need your help to gather the Relics, wench," Taden snarled, knocking Lynn's hand from his face. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be collecting the damn things in the first place." Taden looked out over the desolate lake, the waves kicked up by that fulmenous storm now frozen in place like dunes of ice. He walked forth onto this cold desert as the light of dawn eradicated his Dusk-given skin, rendering him invisible again, except for his lantern. He snuck past the lingering conflict on the western shore, and entered the sacred cavern of Lanayru. He lifted the lantern up and summoned the Light Spirit with the power of his own Blessing. "Mighty serpent," Taden called out to the beast. "I carry your Blessing out of the hands of the Golem who concealed it." In the dark of the shrine, Taden's visage was alive again, narrowing his black eyes intently on the demigod. "What would you ask of me?" It inquired. The giant snake of light hovered above a deep chasm of water, its infinite mirk obscuring the depths of oblivion. "Deliver me to Hell." IC: Taden's Cloak / Lake Hylia, Eastern Shore / Morning 7 "You would be my slave, whether I would have you or not," Taden sneered into the psychotic Sheikah's ear. "Truly, were you to reunite the Relics, you would be more powerful than any on this earth. But you forget that there are others who seek after them, who do not know the evil that lurks inside." Lynn fell to one knee as Taden's Ghost faded away from her, taking the Maskmaker's Knife with it. A dark shadow seemed to fall over her, as she summoned a pall of grey sky rumbling overhead. Before rising, she grasped the small shard of Dusk from his enchanted mask and hid it in her palm. When she stood again, a heavy riding coat draped down from her shoulders to her shins, the black mantle of a mounted chieftain in some distant army. As the sun rose on the third day since Lynn had imbibed Garo's Blessing, Taden felt its protection over Lynn's mind fading. The prison of light in her mind she had contained him shattered, and she wore his cloak again. Her hair turned light blue and her skin turned white, with dark circles under her eyelids. "The chaos of freedom is too much for some," he whispered, clenching her fists for her. "They prefer the order of slavery." Yanking Lynn's arms into the sky, Taden summoned a ball of light into his right hand, a ball of shadow in the other. He charged up the length of a high dune in the center of the frozen lake, and when he reached its apex, fuming spheres of dark and light energy radiated from either hand. He looked down at the dueling warriors on Lake's western shore, the Sunrise Knight and the Kinslayer, and unleashed both orbs at either vindictive brute--dawn's Light for the Duskfire mage, and darkest Shadow for Darrel Mytura. With this first volley launched, he used Lynn's speed and agility to leap down the curve of the ice and make his way across the Lake by the time the aftershock from his twin blasts had dissipated. He pulled the crystal shard of the Warp Mouth from his belt and lashed out at Darrel, a raging maniac out for blood. Inside his mind, Lynn raged against him, and this spilled over into a blind fury animating his attacks. "Your doom is upon you!" he shrieked, in Lynn's most piercing war cry. As the knight leapt back, still mentally assaulted by the Shadow blast, Lynn Hothlight swept around in an about-face and let her arms fly wide to unleash a wave of Ice and Light into Isaac the Kinslayer's face. Before he could regain his footing, she somersaulted over Darrel's head and landed behind him, the roundhouse kicked him in the ass to send him flying towards Isaac. "Damn your alliances and damn your revenge," she scoffed at the dueling foes, Darrel and Isaac. "Like the weight of your own armor, these battleworn ties only chain you down!" She finished her attack with a beam of Ice magic as tall as a man soaring into her adversaries, freezing them together with a veil of frost. IC: Taden's Mask / Eldin, en route to Kakariko / Dawn 7 As the Hylian caravan made its way over the bridge into Goron territory, Taden could sense the lingering hatred of one young Goron in the watch tower. He had not braved the attack before, ordered by his seniors to stay behind, only to watch them die from the safety of his lookout post; but now, underneath his shame and fear, he knew only one thing: hatred for those damned Hylians. The words of their assailant still rang in his ears, delivered in that simian shriek: "Curse you, rock munchers! The only good Goron's a dead Goron! The King of Hyrule sends his regards: there will be no peace on the Bridge of Eldin until it falls into Hylian hands! You tunneling mole creatures are hereby banished from the surface of this Realm! Get ye back into the tunnels whence ye crawled!" That curse would be forever scrawled in stone on the Goron's chest, until he crushed that feeble monkey in his own two hands. "Halt," the Goron soldier shouted down to the caravan. "All wagons must be inspected before crossing this path," he said. He would not leave his post. He had a duty to perform, and he would not risk attacking this traveling band by himself. The best he could do was gather information. He began walking down the length of the caravan, peering into each wagon. To his surprise, he found a young boy tied up as prisoner in the back of the second wagon, and the Hylian knights surrounding him held their breath. "What is the meaning of this?" the Goron asked them. "Do you bring criminals into our land?" The inept guards shook in their boots at the towering, angry Goron, fumbling for an answer. But before they could respond, the Goron thought he caught a glimpse of the snickering monkey's face out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head, losing interest in the prisoner, transfixed on the dark contents of the next wagon over. The monkey's laughter seemed to echo through his mind as he drew closer to the carriage, and reached inside. He found a treasure chest, and locked inside it, he could not help but feel a powerful hunch that some contraband was being hidden by these long-eared fiends. "Open this chest," he ordered the guards. The Hylians seemed reluctant. "Open this chest, or turn back whence you came," he said again, more sternly, whisps of flame shooting from his nostrils. The knights stepped forward and opened the chest, revealing the Monkey Mask. "Can it be?" the Goron asked, perplexed. He lifted the Mask up out of the chest, and looked back over at the young prisoner ahead. "Sir, this boy used that evil mask to attack us, and you," one guard finally explained. "We come in peace, seeking refuge for our people after the fall of Castle Town." The knights led the Goron over to the wagon holding Whie. He interrogated the youngster himself. "Is that true, boy? Did you use this mask for evil?" He waved it in the young boy's face. At that, Whie's eyes snapped open. "Fools! What have you done??" A flash of light burst from his eyes and mouth, and he kicked himself forward to bite the mask out of the Goron's hand, transfixed by a maddening desire to wear it again. When he regained the mask, he transformed into the monkey and escaped the ropes that held his larger body. Taden was free again. "Prepare for the end!" he shouted to the Hylians and Goron standing together, rising up over them, a storm whipping up around him. The cackling monkey wore the loose rags of Whie Malreaux, and his white fur flared amid bolts of lightning. "The new order already begins to rise in the Ruins of Hyrule Castle. The reign of the Goddesses is finished at last!" With that, Taden disappeared in a bolt of lightning, and the stormclouds parted to reveal the seventh dawn of the Interloper War. A high wind picked up, and carried Taden's storm over the distance into Death Mountain. A black rain began to fall on Kakariko. IC: The Storm Medallion / Mythologically Ambiguous Underworld / Dawn 7 Seated on an obsidian throne at the bottom of the blackest ocean, a demon made of grey stone held a Medallion in his hand. The features of untold creatures from this underworld had been absorbed into him: the horns of a ram, the serpentine tail of a fish, a raptor's talons on the fingers of a man. The combined magic of the Golem body forged in a forest-dwelling madman's laboratory, and the evil spirit of the Ma that had possessed it, created a living, intelligent vessel for all the beasts of the underworld to enter into. Like the souls of the faithless Hylians that Penumbra had formed into the behemoth Taden made into the Warp Mask, this towering leviathan bore the evil of every minion of darkness he could consume. In the thick expanse of the oceanic abyss that stretched on into the horizon beyond him, a shining sun seemed to emerge, and down from the surface world came none other than the serpentine Light Spirit, Lanayru. At his helm the Golem creature could sense an unexpected power: his own Dead Heart. Never in all eternity had he expected to be reunited with Habiki's Heart like this. Unable to move, an idle statue encapsulating the power of any demon who drew to close, the sleeping giant was startled to find his own stone hand rising up to present the Medallion to Lanayru. In his palm, the Storm Medallion seemed but a miniscule coin, but when the rider at Lanayru's back took hold of it, it was as wide as his ghostlike, translucent hand. Taden's Ghost reveled in the surge of power that erupted forth from his hand holding the Storm Medallion, a white and silver nebula exploding all around him but muted in the infinite abyss. His hair, skin, and clothes all became a blinding hue like streaks of lightning, bluest white, tearing across the sky. The ghost of the Sage of Storms had returned, reunited with his Knife, but wanted still for a body more powerful than this accursed Dead Heart. In the other hand, the ghost held a large black orb, the Dead Heart kept in the Hated's own phantasmal chest, and used to revive him on the material plane of Hyrule. In this black abyss, speech was impossible, but Taden's Ghost mouthed the inaudible words of gratitude he would never have a reason to speak in the world above. He nodded to the empty sculpture once known as Habiki as the orb of his heart sank slowly into its chest. Lanayru had departed, his obligation met. The Light Spirit had no interest in witnessing such dark, unholy rituals as this. All was darkness now, save for a single point of light in the Golem's chest, where his heart had not yet fully submerged. In this narrow light, the glint of Taden's knife was almost invisible, until it came down on the immobile demon's chest all at once, stabbing him in his core. Simultaneously, Taden took the Warp Mouth from his face and pressed into the Golem's, unleashing all the forsaken souls of Hylia into his empty mind to dance with the wild spirits of the demons within. As the mask sealed onto the stony chin, Taden opened his hand, and likewise the lips of Warp Mouth parted, opening the Golem's mouth and revealing his empty throat. Into this, Taden pressed the Storm Medallion, until his entire arm was sunken into the Golem's chest. The supernova of frozen light that had surrounded him now began to swirl into vortex collapsing on the Golem's head. The whisps of Taden's phantom self were swept up in this cosmic eddy, until it threatened to pull him down into the stone body. As if to fight the inevitable, with his free arm he raised his Maskmaker's Knife high once more, even as his body was introduced into the Golem's chasm. And when nothing but his own hand holding the knife remained outside, Taden struck, stabbing the demonic Golem between the eyes, and then twisting the knife around the edges of his face before allowing himself to be consumed. The Maskmaker's Knife sank to the base of the dark throne, nestling at the feet of the faceless statue. Above it, the statue's face, which now resembled Taden's, began to float upwards towards the surface. Inside, it was laced with the silver of the Storm Medallion, propelling it upward into the unknown by some ungodly magnetism. IC: Taden's Body / Snowpeak / Dawn 7 (No Summary Provided) "So you have come at last," the messenger boy said to the old pilgrim. He sat atop a large black piece of driftwood, as large as tree, gnarled and bent in its branches on the grey sands of the Snowpeak beach. Behind the mountains, beyond the arctic caves, a frigid ocean spread along the polar breadth of the Realm. And it was at the edge of this polar sea that Chamdar Taliesin found Taden's long lost body. "I knew it would be you," he said, speaking into the distance, his back turned to Chamdar, further back on the shore. "I always knew." Instead of walking towards Chamdar, the boy stepped forward, and bent down to pick up something on the shore that the waves had kicked up. When he turned, Chamdar realized it was two somethings. The boy held a long, blunt knife in one hand; a beautifully carved mask in the other. Chamdar recognized the mask immediately: the white hair, the dead eyes, unmistakable. Somehow, the unholy power of Tempest had made it here just as he had. "Tell me, Chamdar," the boy said, finally looking up at him, speaking from across the beach, the large fallen tree between them, "based on all you know, in your own divine judgment, is it not my right to don this mask--the Tempest Mask, reborn through the Ma spirit?" He held the mask aloft, but clenched his knife as well, waiting to hear the old man's answer. Chamdar Taliesin – Snowpeak – Dawn Seven Apprehension turned to near panic, pulsing through him at the sight before him. The boy with the lupine locks knelt down in the frost filmed sand and lifted from the dune a mask and the knife that had carved its likeness. Tempest represented that which was the apex of the Hated’s might, and to see it in the hand of he who had been bereft of it by Chamdar himself sent a shiver up his spine that had little to do with the arctic chill on the air. Instinctually his wrinkled hand twitched toward the blade that rested at his hip. Aurgelmir. "Tell me, Chamdar," the boy said, finally looking up at him, speaking from across the beach, a large fallen tree between them, "based on all you know, in your own divine judgment, is it not my right to don this mask--the Tempest Mask, reborn through the Ma spirit?" Thoughts swirled in his skull like a storm. How had he done it? Chamdar had taken so many precautions, had spent so many long years preparing against his return. Now it was for naught. His hand hovered over the hilt, waiting. "The mask is yours, Taden Merlot, but does any man, alive or long dead, deserve such awesome power?" He knew the words would fall on deaf ears, the deceitful voice of Hothnight had bent strong and noble light warriors to its purpose, and here concentrated into the spirit of Tempest, it would be stronger still. Even so, Taden Merlot, the body that had once housed that chaotic storm, had not donned the mask yet. There was still a chance to appeal to his humanity. "Are you so eager to damn the world into endless, entropic winter?" His grip tightened around the haft of his rune-carved spear and the wind whipped the folds of his ivory cassock, and he waited. C: Chibi Taden / Snowpeak Mountains / Dawn 7 Taden saw the man's hand twitch towards Aurgelmir, the sword that had ripped him into four parts in ages past. The curved hilt of the ebony blade glinted in the moonlight. "The mask is yours, Taden Merlot, but does any man, alive or long dead, deserve such awesome power? Are you so eager to damn the world into endless, entropic winter?" From across the bleak beach, Taden smirked. "Many moons have passed since last I was called by that name," he said. "Yet you appeal to a heart that has no pulse, and for that you have only yourself to blame." Against Chamdar's grip on Aurgelmir and a runic spear, Taden stood empty-handed, fastening the Knife and the Medallion-turned-Mask on his belt. "Don't you see, Moran? I am no adversary of your Kingdom." Taden walked towards the armed mage calmly. "I am but an agent of the inevitable. If this world should return to the chaos whence it came, it will not be me, but the Hylians themselves who sent it thus." Standing at arm's length from his age-old foe, Taden closed his eyes, and pulled the Tempest Mask over his face with a sharp intake of breath. IC: Oni Taden / Snowpeak / Dawn 7 A shockwave of arctic energy pushed Chamdar back along the grey beachhead. Waves whipped and tousled against the shore in the furious winds. The clear sky of dawn began to dim under a gathering maelstrom of black cloud. The old sage was knocked on his bony ass. Towering over him now, a black figure held a massive battle axe in the hand that had once held the Maskmaker's Knife. Lightweight armor decked his chest, shoulders, and waist, and a wide horned helmet donned the demon's matted scalp. "Against my power, you wield the blade with which the Goddesses bid you break me--but what good is the sword of Aurgelmir in this arctic waste, when the bearers of the Relics whom you would protect are continents away?" As Chamdar regained his footing, Tempest took to the air, and down from the billowing stormclouds there poured a ghostly, vaporous ship. A great black sail adorned its chief mast, and its bough wore the emblem of a demonic skull. Rolling clouds and thunderbolts were engraved along its sides. This mighty vessel emerged from the stormy seas to rest at the arctic shore, where Tempest rose up to stand at its captain's deck. "You braved the elements once already be the first to learn of my resurrection. But if you expect that knowledge to do you any good in this Interloper War, you're going to have to brave them twice." In a peal of booming laughter that seemed to meld with the clap of thunder, Tempest's ship rose again into the sky and vanished behind a veil of cloud. The churning storm system then turned with a shift of the wind, and began rolling to the South. Desert Resolution IC: Mirra / Desert / Dawn 7 "Let us be off!" Mirra called to Giga, Kae, and Elly from atop the mesa where they stood. The wind swirled about them at this height, and in the distance Mirra thought she could see Horus returning, or sense his Light coming closer. "Giga, once the Scion has been restored, we can meet you at Death Mountain and forge the Daybreak Sword from the pieces we have. With the Goron army behind us, its power should be strong enough to vanquish the Interlopers and reclaim Castle Town, even if we don't have all of the Artifacts needed to perfect it." Mirra turned to the Scion. "Kae, lead the way." Kae and Elly/Skies over Hyrule/Dawn 7 "You are right, Mirra. We are daughters of the revolution, and we have the birthrights others don't. With these come talents to make the enemy run scared. When we return with the Light Medallion, nothing will stand in our way! Onward to victory!" Kae's plan wasn't the most solid in existence. Going right into enemy territory for whatever she was looking for still baffled Elly. But the main forces were out of the area. And who knew what was left? There was opportunity even at high risk. Kae was dying anyway, and if she was to go out, perhaps this was that blaze of glory. Still, Elly was charged with keeping Kae alive to the best of her ability. And she wouldn't outright kill herself. So something had to be up. The divination showed more would be made clear as they approached the southern stars. "Ser Gigagoron, please speak to Lord Daurubia about granting me an audience with your assembly. There is much they should know, and much they need know of our struggle. Safe travels, friend!" Elly locked her legs behind Kae's to keep her steady. "You can lean on my back, but please keep your second sight focused on the horizon. I don't know exactly how it works but if you've got an angel's sight, you can keep us from harm. I don't know why we're doing this, but if you said it's gonna work, I believe you. Just stick with me and don't give up!" The Scion's gaze wavered due to pain in her side, but she did not belie discomfort beyond this. Most Blessed and Exalted Nayru, save me from the parts of my flesh which cry for death. Don't turn your back on me when you know my pain so well. After all, I believe you had to suffer this too...you were once like me...help me understand. Hear my prayers, and guide us with your holy Wisdom! They saw much chaos unfolding over the frigid Lake Hylia. "Sweet Farore's...oh, never mind! What the hell is going on down there?" Kae could see events transpiring. She wanted to interfere, but her brother was capable. And she could not lend a hand in her condition without risking her death. With Primordials present and especially the two she had the biggest issues with...and Lynn...though that place was frigid, it was too hot to get engaged in such a conflict. "Prayers would be more effective, Elly. We can't stop here. This is Primordial Country. Jaden and the others can handle it...if they cannot, Triune give them mercy. I am sorry." Elly balled up one of her fists for a moment before releasing tension. "Right. It sucks! What's your glowing map tell you? Because we need to double time it!" The Scion's ally kicked their steed to accelerate as they both held on tightly and wondered how Mirra felt about this situation. IC: Mirra / Dawn 7 / Teh sky Mirra looked down over Elly's shoulder at the battle ensuing at the Lake. She could feel Rukh down there, and she drew strength from seeing her Allies alive. I shall rejoin you soon, Rukh, when I need this mask no longer. The golden rays of dawn glinted in her gossamer wings, their first taste of the sun since the Great Fairy's ritual. Shadows IC: Felina/Wyvern - Shadow Temple - Dawn 7 Inside the depths of the Shadow Temple the transformed Felina sat in a central hub corridor playing an ancient ballad dedicated to the long forgotten goddess Hylia on the Ocarina of Time. "Just what do you intend to do down here anyway?! It isn't like you're going to beat somebody like Senshi one on one." Felina called out from a hidden corner of her mindscape. "Hmph, give me more credit than that. By your own memories he's a hot headed fool, I just have to push the right buttons and he'll wind up self destructing." the winged beast Wyvern called out as it showered Felina's hiding place with flames. "Gah, I guess he's not going to explain why he is doing this... Any ideas?" Felina asked her other spirit partners. "Well, I've got an idea, but it is really dangerous. Before we can even try it we will need a sufficient distraction." her owl spirit responded. "Hopefully Senshi can give us that distraction... without killing us." Coyote added. "Dolphin will be the key to my plan though..." owl spoke as he began to explain his scheme. IC: Chibi Taden / Morning 7 / Kakariko A dark shadow fell over Kakariko Village as the sudden shower gave way to a heavy pall of cloud. A cold stormfront was moving in, with a near perfect line of cloud rolling southward from the mountains. Ahead it flew a panicked flock of bats and buzzards trying to escape the black blizzard before it broke. A rim of frost traced the edges of the Light Spirit's reflecting pool. Dropping down from the clouds, just to its left, a young child in rags appeared. He wore a hunting knife around his waist and a large ceremonial mask on the back of his head, stuffed under a hoary mane of thick white hair. The Sage of Storms Mask stared out into the pale morning sky as the approaching front blotted out the daylight. Under a veil of cloud, the boy was strong enough to walk about, but could not exert himself too much. "The ape mask is close," the boy said. "I can feel it..." For the time, Whie seemed to be trapped in the storm, evaporated by the power of the Hated Mask. Taden could fix that. Lifting his arms into the air, he breathed in deeply, then swept them down by his side and pushed the breath from his lungs. In a gust of wind, Whie's gaunt body fell out of the sky and landed in the Light Spirit's pool at his feet. "Well, well, well...," the young boy smirked, propping his hands on his hips and leaning down over the disoriented magician. "What a long, strange trip it's been." Without much fanfare, Taden bent forward to grab the Mask from Whie's hip, but when he did so, a ripple of light shot out from the Spirit fountain. "Augh!" Taden was thrown back, landing on his back at the fountain's edge. "Dammit." As he returned to the pool, he brought his fingers close enough to touch it, and just as frost began to form on the water a beam of light spat out to ward off Taden's hand. The child squatted on the ground, folding his arms over his chest, and contemplated how to get at the sleeping teenager holding his Mask in the pond. "Bloody goddess realm with its naturally occurring Light formations..." The Last Man Standing Gigagoron/Desert/Morning 7 Giga watched as his companions parted ways. It would not be long before he saw them again, but for now he had to go it alone. He looked down at the slightly pulsing goronite in his hand knowing that for the moment this was a Goron matter, one that outsiders could not interfere with. It was what he had wanted from the start: send the army to stop the invaders. But he sadly was beginning to understand that all this war, all this anger and hatred was helping no one. What had happened to him back in the cave? He could hardly recall his actions, but his feelings were real. Something inside had just sprung forth, something he could not control. He wasn't stupid. He knew what must be done. After all, he thought, it's either us or them. In his hand he held the key to convincing every able-bodied goron in the mountain to fight. In his hand he held death. Giga balled up and rolled across the desert toward Death Mountain. In the distance, the fire could be seen as one of its infamous mini-eruptions took place. '''' Category:Tristandark Category:Oni Link87 Category:Cream04849 Category:Redawson2 Category:Rezeon Category:Billiam35 Category:Taden Hothnight Category:Polaris Eridanus